I got this pen for my birthday three or four years ago - it looks amazing, with all-metal build and that awesome yellow color, which happens to be my favorite. It's even shaped like a pencil! What's not to love? Well...read on.

Fit/Finish: The pen is built like a tank as its Swiss construction implies. The paint does not chip off and the clicker mechanism is near-silent and silky smooth. Branding is understated - literally, it's under the clip - and overall the 849 exudes quality. One thing I don't particularly care for is the length - it feels a bit too short for my taste, at five inches. The clip looks removable but isn't, with a nice angular design that doesn't seem ready to detach. So, a 5 in the fit/finish department, but...

Performance: Here's where the pen loses its marks. The Goliath refill may be high capacity, but it's not a rich black, nor is it consistent. The pen performs like your average disposable black stick pen, albeit a little smoother. Inconsistency and white spots in the line have plagued this refill since I got the pen. This refill is just BAD.

Overall: Not a horrible pen - actually, a great one - if not for the refill. Parker-style refills can be hacked to fit (they're a tad bit too long), but they, especially the Fisher refill - are loads better than the included one. Still, the quality of the metal body and clicker mechanism are good enough to give this pen at least a cursory glance.

- I agree about the quality of this ball point pen, and I've also noticed the refill of this brand doesn't write as dark as I'd like it to write, that's the only drawback for me, because it is a very smooth pen